Liquid dispensing device



July 11, 1961 A. c. KISH 2,991,916

LIQUID DISPENSING DEVICE Filed May 31, 1957 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR.

ARNOLD C. KISH HM D/ July 11, 1961 A. c. KlSH LIQUID DISPENSING DEVICE 4Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed May 51, 1957 INVENTOR.

ARNOLD C: KISH July 11, 1961 A. c. KISH LIQUID DISPENSING DEVICE 4Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed May 51, 1957 INVENTOR.

ARNOLD c. KISH (A /15mm July 11, 1961 A. c. KlSH LIQUID DISPENSINGDEVICE 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed May 51, 1957 FIGS INVENTOR.

ARNOLD C. KISH M KM United States Patent Office 2,991,916 LIQUIDDISPENSING DEVICE Arnold C. Kish, 1037 W. 25th St, Erie, Pa. Filed May31, 1957, Ser. No. 662,897 15 Claims. (Cl. 222-3865) This inventionrelates to barrel tapping devices and, more particularly, to means fortapping a conventional beer barrel and forcing the beer therefrom to adispensing means.

This application is an improvement over Patent No. 2,762,534, issuedSeptember 11, 1956.

Prior devices for dispensing beverages usually were unable to remove allof the beverage and a gallon or so of the beverage would remain in thebottom of the barrel. The said patent discloses an inflatable devicewhich is adapted to be inserted in a barrel to force the contentstherefrom.

The present application discloses a device in many respects similar tothe device disclosed in the prior patent; however, the present devicepresents a novel means for attaching an inflatable device to the tappingequipment wherein the device can be readily removed from the equipment,can be readily and conveniently inserted in a barrel, and will removenearly all, if not all, of the beverage. In another embodiment of theinvention disclosed herein, an improved shaped bladder or air bag isprovided to remove a maximum amount of liquid from the barrel wherein itis used. The present improvements make it possible to remove and replacethe air bag of the device with convenience and without damaging thedevice. Also, the device is economical and simple to use. Anotherembodiment constituting an improvement disclosed herein shows astructure for holding the inflated bag out of engagement with the barrelbottom during the initial stages of its expansion and for expanding insuch a manner that liquid will be pushed toward the center of the barrelor near the beverage tubes. In the present disclosure, the parts are soarranged that as soon as some beverage is drawn, the bladder expands andcovers most of the top of the beverage. Therefore, only a little of thebeverage is in contact with the air. This prevents decarbonization.

It is, accordingly, an object of this invention to overcome priordefects and disadvantages in previous designs of beer tapping devicesand, more particularly, it is an object of this invention to provide abeer tapping device which is simple in construction, economical tomanufacture, easy to install, and eflicient in operation.

Another object of this invention is to provide a barrel tapping deviceutilizing an inflatable member wherein an improved valve is provided toprevent the air or gas introduced into the container from coming intocontact with the beverage.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved shape of aircontainer for forcing liquids from a container.

A still further object of this invention is to provide a barrel tappingdevice having an improved means for inserting an inflatable member intothebarrel.

Yet a further object of the invention is to provide an improved meansfor removing and completely emptying a barrel of beer or other liquid.

With the above and other objects in view, the present invention consistsof the combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter more fullydescribed, illustrated in the accompanying drawings and moreparticularly pointed out in the appended claims, it being understoodthat changes may be made in the form, size, proportions, and minordetails of construction without departing from the spirit or sacrificingany of the advantages of the invention.

In the drawings:

Patented July 11, 196 1 FIG. 1 is a cross sectional view of a barrelhaving'a barrel tapping device attached thereto;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged detailed cross sectional view of a part of theequipment used with this invention; V

FIG. 3 shows another embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 4 is a cross sectional view taken on line 4-4 Of FIG. 5;

FIG. 5 is a longitudinal cross sectional viewof the in.- flatable membersupported on the dispensing assembly with the beverage rod shown brokenaway at the lower end, the tapping device broken away at theupper end,and the cardboard cylinder forced to the lower part of the assembly; V

FIG. 6 shows a barrel containing a device comprising another embodimentof the invention;

FIG. 7 is an enlarged vertical cross sectional view of the embodiment ofthe invention shown in FIG. 6;

FIG; 8 is an enlarged partial view of the lower end of the embodiment ofthe invention shown in FIG. 7 ;and

FIGS. 9, l0, and 11 are other views of the embodiment of the inventionshown in FIG. 3. V

Now with more specific reference to the drawings, a tapping device 1 isshown having a sleeve 2 on the lower end thereof with an outwardlyextending flange 15 on the upper end thereof. A female member 4 of abayonet type coupling is attached to the sleeve 2 and welded or brazedthereto. The female member 4 is a complementary part of a coupling 5 andis adapted to engage the conventional male bayonet type coupling member5 disposedon a conventional beer barrel of the type now in use in theUnited States by most breweries.

The flange 15 has an internally threaded portion 17 engaging a lowerthreaded end 18 of a gland 19 for forcing a sealing washer 20 intosealing engagement with a pipe 22 telescopically disposed and axiallymovable on the sleeve 2. The pipe 22 has a cylindrical head member 23concentric thereto and welded at 24 to the upper end thereof. The member23 has a laterally extending, apertured bossed portion 25 with aconventional pipe thread .26 for receiving a threaded end 27 of a pipe28 to provide a path for a suitable source of air or other suitablefluid. The upper end of the cylindrical member, 23 is internallythreaded at 30 for receiving a lower end.31.of a cylindrical head 32.The head 32 has a laterally extending beverage outlet 33 in which isdisposed a conventional shut-off valve 34 for controlling the flow ofbeverage from the head 32. The head 32 also has an internally threadedportion 35 for threadable engagement with an upper threaded end 36 of abeverage rod 37 which is disposed concentric to the pipe 22 and spacedtherefrom so as to provide a passageway for air, gas, or other fluidtherebetween. The above members are shown particularly in FIGS. 1 and 2.

The beverage rod 37 and tubes 22 and 411 are disposed concentric to eachother and attached together at the top thereof. The tube 41 and rod 37extend a suificient distance beyond the lower end of the pipe 22 toreach substantially to the bottom of a container such as a keg or barrelto be tapped.

The inflatable member assembly shown in FIG. 5 is adapted to slideconcentrically over the beverage rod 37 and the tube 41 and be disposedthereon generally in the position shown in FIG. 1 when in the barrel.Whenthe device is to be inserted into a barrel, the device shown in FIG.5 will be drawn into the sleeve 2 by loosening the gland 19 and pullingthe pipe 22 upward, thus drawing the beverage rod 37 and tube 41 withthe tapping device thereon up into the sleeve 2.

One embodiment of the inflatable member and assembly'is shown in FIG. 5.The inflatable member assembly is made up of a relatively thin tubularmember 50fland a similar member 51 in aligned, axial spaced relationwere to. The members 50 and 51 are hollow cylindrical members,preferably made of odorless, tasteless, non-toxic plastic which can comeinto contact with beer and most other. beverages without objectionablecontamination resulting. The member 50 has a plurality of spaced holes53 therethrough. The cylindrical bladder support tube members 50 and 51.are held. in spaced relation by means of a cylindrical spacer tube 54made of cardboard or a similar fairlyrigid material disposedconcentrically of the tube members'50 and 51 and extending into each ofthe tubes 50 and 51v and making a snug fit and frictional engagementwith the insides thereof to hold them in spaced relation. When thebladder is assembled in a container, the cylindrical spacer tube 54 isforced to the bottom of a tube as shownin FIG. 5. A flexible sleeve 55is disposed over the juxtaposed ends of the tubes 50 and 51 and.heldthereto by means of tape 56 and 57, respeclively, which form an airtight seal between the ends of the tubes 50 and 51 and'the sleeve 55 andmay be held thereto by means of suitable plastic adhesive tape. A band59 of resilient material is disposed around the sleeve 55 and makestwoturns therearound and urges the sleeve 55 inwardly into sealingengagement with the cardboard cylinder 54.

The. lower end of a resilient bladder or bag member 90 is sealed to thelower end of the tube 51 at 60 by means of tape 62 which has an adhesivematerial thereon and which seals to the lower end of the bag 90 and tothe outer surface of the tube 51, thereby sealing the lower end of thetube 51 against leakage. The bag 90 is shown in cross section in FIGS. 4and and has a plurality of convolutions 63 which extend outwardly to asmooth, generally round container when the bag 90 is inflated. Aresilient band 98 such as a rubber band is attached to a member 65 at 99under tape 70 and at the other end thereof by the tape 62 and the bightthereof extends therebetwcen.

The sleeve 65 made of thin rigid material, for example, brass, istelescopically received over an end 66 of the tube 50. The sleeve 65 hasan axially extending slot 67 therein terminating in an offset hole 68.An upper end 69 of the bladder member 90 extends over the sleeve 65 andis sealed thereto by means of adhesive tape 70 which is attached to thebag 90; that is, the sleeve 65 is slidable on the tube 50 and thecardboard cylinder 54 is slidable ,insidethe tubes 50 and 51 and aliquid tight seal is provided between the sleeve 65 and the upper end 69of the bag 90 and between the tube 5'1 and the lower end 60 of the bag90.

" To use the device, the tube 41 having the beverage tube 37 therein isinserted through the inside of the tubes 50 and 51 and the lower end 60of the tube 51 engages the cardboard cylinder 54. Tube 41 pushes it tothe lower end of the tube 51 so that the band 59 squeezes the sleeve 55into sealing engagement with the outer periphery of 'the tube 41. Thebeverage rod 37, tube 41, and pipe 22 are then pushed down through untila lower end 94a of the pipe 22 engages an upper end 66 of the tube 50,forcing it out of the sleeve 65. The lower portion 94a of the pipe 22has a transverse pin 65a therein which slides into the slot 67 and restsin the hole 68 thereof.

'The entire assembly, including the tube 51 and the beverage rod 37, isthen drawn with the pipe 22 into the device 1 with the bag 90 inextended position. The entire device is then inserted through theopening in the barrel. A handle is then rotated to form a seal betweenthe bung of the barrel and the device 1. Then gas is pumped through thepipe 28 and it flows down around the outside of the beverage pipe 41 inthe direction of the arrow shown in the pipe 28 and flows down betweenthe beverage pipe 41 and pipe 22 and out through the holes 53 into thespace between the tubes 50 and 51 and the inside of the bag 90. Thepressure thereon tends to elongate the bag 90. Therefore, the force ofthe bag 90 at the lower end of the tube 51 causes the tube 51 to slideon the beverage rod 37 until a tip 77 rests on the bottom of the barrel.Since the sleeve 55 forms a gas tight con nection between the bag 90 andthe outer periphery of the tube 41, the air cannot pass out downwardlyinto the space above the beverage in contact with the beverage. As thepressure in the bag 90 increases, the bag 90 stretches and engages thetop of 'the beverage and forces it out of the barrel.

Either air or CO can be inserted to the bottom of the beverage. throughthe tube 41 or into the bag90. A source of compressed air is connectedto the device and a source of CO under pressure is connected to thedevice. By regulating valves the air and CO over the top of the beveragecan be regulated through the pipe 22. CO 01' air can'be exhausted tochange the concentration of CO by changing the CO over the beverage and,therefore, the amount of CO that the beverage will absorb.

It has been discovered through experimentation that when the bag 90 hasfully expanded to the dotted line position 101, beverage will be trappedat 80. If it is desired to remove all of the beverage from a barrel, anadditional device must be provided to provide a channel for the beverageto flow into since the center of the bag 90 will expand downward intoengagement with the bottom of the barrel and some beverage will betrapped in the space 80 at the edge thereof. Various designs of barrelsdonot encounter this ditficulty; however, a barrel of the conventionalshape shown in FIG. 1 will almost always trap some beverage around thelower inside peripheral edge thereof. Therefore, an additionalimprovement is provided which will support a portion of the bladder fromengagement with the bottom of the barrel and, therefore, allow all ofthe beverage to be expelled therefrom. The tip 77 of the tube 51 will beforced into engagement with the bottom of the barrel as explained supra.

FIG. 5 discloses another feature of the device for removing the beveragefrom the barrel. It is made up of the resilient band 98 which is fairlystrong and resistant to stretching compared to, the bag 90. As themember is inflated, the bladder will engage the band 98 and force thebag to expand more on each side of the band 98 to form a channelthereinto along one edge thereof. The band 98 will indent the bag andform a channel therearound to allow the trapped beverage to pass alongthe member 98 from the volume trapped in the barrel at 80. Therefore,all of the beverage in the barrel will be evacuated. The entire device,including the bag 90 in extended position and the band 98, can be drawnup into the tube or sleeve 2 as explained and it can also be insertedinto a barrel through a small opening or bung.

FIGS. 6, 7, and 8 show another embodiment of the invention wherein abladder 190 supported on tubes and 151 is disposed in a keg. The bladder190 differs from the bag 90, however, in that the lower portion thereofis bifurcated and the lower end of one bifurcated portion is attached tothe tube 151 by means of tape and the tube 151 extends down through theopening at 181. The other bifurcated portion- 182 is taped to the sideof the tube 151 at 183. Therefore, when air is admitted to the bladderand the beverage rod is inserted through the tubes 150 and 151, acylinder 191 will be forced out and a rubber band .159 will cause aresilient sleeve 154 to grip the tube 41. The sleeve 154 is taped to thetube 150 at 156 andto tube 151 at 157. A slot 167 in a sleeve 165performs the same function as the slot 67 and sleeve 65 in theembodiment shown in FIG. 5. The bladder 190. is attached to the sleeve165' by means of tape 171. Air will be admitted through the holes 53into the bladder 190 and expand it generally in the shape shown in FIG.6. The main portion will expand the fastest at i187 and will crowd thebeverage to one side. The bifurcated portion 182 will hold a portion ofthe bladder 190 from expanding and, therefore, will crowd the beverageto one side before it finally flows up through the beer ro In FIGS. 9,l0, l1, and 3, another embodiment of the bladder is shown. The bladderis made in the form of a closed container having an opening at 210 andhaving an elongated body 211 terminating at the distal end thereof in areduced size, closed end portion 212 and having three hollow closed endprojections 213, 214, and 215 on one side. The first projection 213 islonger than the others and is disposed slightly below the midpoint ofthe length of the body 21 1. The short finger or projection member 214is disposed adjacent the long member 213 and the third finger orprojection member 215 is slightly longer than the member 214 but shorterthan the member 213.

The tube 51 is inserted into the end 212 and an outer surf-ace 237 iscaused to lie in intimate relationship with the outer surface of thetube 51. Tape 262 is then wrapped around the end 212 to seal the fingermember end 212 to the tube 51. The entire body member 211 is then turnedinside out back over the tube 51 as shown generally in FIGS. 11 and 3.The fingers 213, 214, and 215 are turned inside out as shown in FIG. 12and ends 220, 221, and 222 are taped to the tube by means of tape 223,224, and 225, respectively. The end 221 is then taped to the upper tube50 by means of tape 227, the end 212 of the bladder over the surface 237of the pipe is then punctured, and the entire bladder and tubes aredisposed on a beverage rod or on the tube 41 in the manner in which themember 59 is disposed on the beverage rod in FIG. 1 and the beverage rodand bladder are inserted into a barrel of beverage which is to beevacuated.

When the bladder and tube are disposed in a beverage barrel as shown inFIG. 3 with the beverage rod therein, the operator then begins to admitair under pressure into the interior of the bladder which begins toexpand it and it takes generally the shape shown in FIG. 3 when air isfirst introducedThe finger 213 restrains the top, the finger 214restrains the intermediate portion, and the finger 215 restrains thelower portion of the bladder against expansion and allows a side 232 toexpand freely. The side 232 expands downwardly and conforms to the shapeof the interior of the barrel as shown in FIG. as the air pressure isincreased.

As shown in FIG. 10*, the fingers 213, 214, and 215 will restrain theopposite side of the bladder against expansion while corners 233opposite the side 232 will expand down into intimate contact with theinterior of the barrel, leaving a channel between cheeks 234 for thelast volume of the beverage to collect. Therefore, the beverage from theside adjacent the side 232 is forced out through the beverage rod. Thenas the side 232 expands outwardly and upwardly, the beverage on thatside is forced out through the tube, the beverage on a side 236rem-aining in place. As the bladder continues to expand as air pressureis increased, the beverage is swept from around the outer periphery ofthe barrel by the cheeks 234 of the bladder so that the final volume ofbeverage remaining in the barrel is contained between the two cheeks234, the fingers restraining the left side of the bladder fromexpanding. Then as the bladder continues to expand, the last volume ofbeverage is expelled from. the cheeks 234 as the side of the bladdercontinues to sweep on around and the fingers are stretched so that,finally, only a very small quantity of beverage remains in the barrel.Finally, substantially the last volume of beverage will be expelled fromthe barrel and forced up through the beverage rod.

The operator may stop the air pressure from increasing inside thebladder as the barrel approaches the empty condition so that a portionof the bladder itself is not expelled up through the beverage rod and,therefore, a small area pushed up through the tube 51, overstressed, andpunctured. If precautions are taken not to puncture the bladder, the airpressure inside the bladder may be released and the bladder may bewithdrawn through th bung of the barrel for use in another barrel.

The foregoing specification sets forth the invention in its preferredpractical forms but the structure shown is capable of modificationwithin a range of equivalents without departing fromthe invention whichit is to be understood is broadly novel as is commensurate with theappended claims.

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property orprivilege is claimed are defined as follows:

1. A device forinserting into a container to remove the contentstherefrom comprising two axially aligned, rigid, spaced tubes connectedby a flexible sleeve, said tubes disposed in a flexible resilient bagand extending into one opening thereof and out another opening with oneof said tubes closing said one opening and sealingly attached thereto, ahollow sleeve disposed in said other opening and sealed to said bagaround said opening, said second tube being telescopically slidable insaid hollow sleeve, a hollow rod adapted to be inserted through saidtubes with an open end extending through the end remote from said hollowsleeve, means to seal said flexible sleeve to said hollow rod, and meansto direct fluid into the space between said tubes and said bag wherebysaid bag is expanded and material from said container is expelledtherefrom.

2. The device recited in claim 1 wherein said sealing means for saidflexible sleeve comprises a resilient band disposed around said flexiblesleeve, urging said flexible sleeve into sealing engagement with saidrod.

3. The device recited in claim'2 wherein a hollow body is adapted to beattached to said bag around an inlet thereto and said hollow rod andsaid bag are adapted to be retracted into said body.

4. A device for removing liquid from a container comprising two axiallyaligned tubes connected by a flexible tube, a flexible bag having twoopenings said tubes extending into one opening in said flexible bag andout the other, said flexible bag defining a fluid tight chamber betweensaid tubes and said flexible bag, and means to hold said flexible tubein sealing engagement with a hollow rod adapted to extend through saidtubes.

5. The device recited in claim 4 wherein said flexible bag adjacent saidone opening has means thereon adapted to be attached to a sleeveconcentrically disposed on said hollow rod.

6. The device recited in claim 5 wherein a resilient band is attached tosaid bag adjacent said one opening at one end thereof and adjacent saidother opening at the other end thereof and has an unstressed lengthsubstantially equal to the distance between said openings whereby saidband deflects said bag when said bag is inflated.

7. A device for forcing liquid from a container comprising a resilientbody, a tubular means extending into one portion of said resilient bodyand out the other portion thereof and providing a space for air betweensaid body and said tubular means, said tubular means being sealed tosaid body, means to admit gas into said space to expand said resilientbody, and a resilient band, and means to support said band at spacedpoints on said tubular means adjacent said body whereby said band isadapted to indent said body, providing a passage to said tubular meansfor liquid trapped adjacent the inside surfaces of said container.

8. The device recited in claim 7 wherein one end of said body isattached to a sleeve adapted to be attached to a hollow rod.

9. The device recited in claim 8 wherein said hollow rod is adapted toextend through said tubular means.

10. A device for forcing liquid from a container comprising a resilientbody having first and second openings, tubular means extending into thefirst opening of the resilient body and out the second opening andproviding a space for air between said body and said tubular means,

means to admit gas into said space'to expand said resilient body, aresilient band, means to support said band at spaced points on saidtubular means adjacent said body whereby said band is adapted to indentsaid body, providing a passage to said tubular means for liquid trappedadjacent the outside of a container, and a second tubular meanssealingly attached to said body at one end thereof and extending throughsaid first opening on said first tubular means and concentricallydisposed on said first tubular means, said body being sealingly attachedto said first tubular means around said second opening.

11. A bladder for evacuating a beverage container, said bladder havingan open end and a distal end made of resilient material and having anexpandable body and a closed end opposite an open end, one side of saidbladder having a finger member attached thereto between said open endand said distal end, said finger member being adapted to be attached toa member of a beverage dispensing mechanism to restrain one side of saidbladder against elastic deformation.

12. The bladder recited in claim 11 wherein said bladder has a pluralityof spaced fingers attached thereto to limit expansion of part of saidbladder.

13. The bladder recited in claim 12 wherein said spaced fingers aredisposed in proximate relation on one side of said bladder.

14. A device for tapping a container and forcing the contents therefromcomprising a tubular body member, means to secure said body member to acoupling member on said container, a pipe and a hollow rod sealedtogether at the upper end thereof and disposed concentric to each otherand to said tubular member, sealing means between said pipe and saidtubular member, a sleeve disposed around said rod, means to attach saidsleeve to said pipe in general alignment therewith, sealing meanssealing one end of said sleeve to said rod, a resilient bag having twoopenings therein, said rod extending through said openings, said bagbeing sealingly attached to said pipe around one said opening and tosaid sleeve around said other opening, means to connect a supply ofcompressed gas to said pipe to flow through the space between said pipeand said rod into said bag, discharge means on said rod for materialforced from said container by said gas expanding said bag, and means onsaid device to introduce gas into said container outside of said bag.

15. The device recited in claim 14 wherein a band of resilient materialis attached to said bag at the attachment thereof to said pipe and atthe other end of the attachment thereof to said sleeve and adapted to beforced therewith into engagement with the bottom of said containerholding said bag away from the bottom of said container along a pathfrom said side to said rod and thereby providing a passage for fluid toflow to said hollow rod.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS642,960 Clibborn Feb. 6, 1900 1,977,862 Scholtes Oct. 23, 1934 2,223,012Wanderski et a1. Nov. 26, 1940 2,673,013 Hester Mar. 23, 1954 2,762,534Kish Sept. 11, 1956

